Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions

What is a CMS?

The term CMS stands for Content Management System and basically its a web application designed to make it easy for non-technical users to create, manage and edit a website. Popular CMS options for your website include WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, and Blogger.

What is the best CMS for my website?

Although there are many different CMS options out there, here at AboveCMS we prefer WordPress. Creating a blog on WordPress is as easy as creating a document using Microsoft Word. There are no coding skills required which allows anyone to publish content frequently whenever they choose. With that in mind, here are 5 great reasons why WordPress is the right CMS for your new project.

What options does WordPress offer?

Don’t confuse WordPress (the open-source software package, found at WordPress.org) with WordPress.com. The former is a fully-fledged software package while the latter is a service that hosts personal websites in much the same way as Blogger, Tumblr and other such managed offerings. WordPress started out as a personal publishing system back in 2001, but by around 2008 had evolved into a integral content management system. It’s installed on your own server of choice so you essentially own everything that’s created there and have limitless creative control over your website. Plus, WordPress is built using widely used, fully tested programming languages including PHP and SQL, so you can accomplish just about any task asked of a website. It’s remarkably expansible with an extensive and viable library of plugins – around 40,000 in the WordPress repository alone! Many plugins are free, which means you can get the site you want faster and at a lower cost than if it were hand-coded from scratch. You’re not limited to preexisting ‘themes’ (i.e. designs) either. Site owners often use these merely as starting points so that they can create exclusive designs without having to reinvent the proverbial wheel.

Is WordPress just for personal sites and small businesses?

WordPress is used by some of the most widely recognized brands in the world such as CNN, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Mercedes-Benz and Vogue. Think of it this way: If WordPress is competent for the Library of Congress, government sites in the U.S. and Great Britain, and the U.S. military, it’s probably powerful enough for your needs, too. As of December 2015, WordPress powers nearly one in four sites on the Web – and more than 80% of all websites that use a CMS. In 2015, WordPress remained the fastest-growing CMS for the sixth year straight.

What is a theme?

A theme dictates the look and style of your website. Your theme is made up of a range of things, such as font types and sizes, your color scheme and other areas that affect the look of your site. Your theme helps to reflect your identity through your site, and helps to improve your customer’s experience. Simply put, the layout and themes are the same as decorating a room in your house. The layout is the walls and furniture, while the theme is your decoration.

What are plugins?

Plugins are software applications that can be uploaded to extend and expand the functionality of your Website. Think of the CMS being your smartphone and the Plugins are the apps you have on your phone. There are over 40,000 plugins that you can choose from and we’ll help implement the right ones you’ll need for your project.

Why should I become a member of AboveCMS?

Although WordPress is a free open source platform you will still need a web host provider. Also if you want your website address without the word “WordPress” in it you’ll need a custom domain name. With AboveCMS we include a free custom domain name and web hosting for the lifetime of your membership. A free account on WordPress gives you only limited access to basic themes and plugins while with AboveCMS each of our members receive access to thousands of themes that are fully customizable with our drag and drop builder which is not available on a free WordPress account. Plus you will more than likely need help from Professional WordPress developers in implementing your project’s requirements. WordPress does not provide you access to these developers so you would have to outsource freelancers if you were going this route. Here at AboveCMS we have some of the best WordPress professionals available to you at your disposal helping you with any development related needs. It’s the Premium Technical Support that our clients find most valuable and well worth every penny.

What is an API?

API (application program interface) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. The API specifies how software components should interact and APIs are used when programming graphical user interface (GUI) components. A good API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building blocks. A programmer then puts the blocks together.

What are the different types of API's?

There are many different types of APIs for operating systems, applications or websites. Windows, for example, has many API sets that are used by system hardware and applications — when you copy and paste text from one application to another, it is the API that allows that to work.

Most operating environments, such as MS-Windows, provide an API so that programmers can write applications consistent with the operating environment. Today, APIs are also specified by websites. For example, Amazon or eBay APIs allow developers to use the existing retail infrastructure to create specialized web stores. Third-party software developers also use Web APIs to create software solutions for end-users.

What are some examples of popular API's?

Programmable Web, a site that tracks more than 13,000 APIs, lists Google Maps, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Amazon Product Advertising as some of the the most popular APIs. The following list contains several examples of popular APIs:

1. Google Maps API: Google Maps APIs lets developers embed Google Maps on webpages using a JavaScript or Flash interface. The Google Maps API is designed to work on mobile devices and desktop browsers.